School Choice International Blog Less free play time linked to increased incidence of mental illness in school children

One theory suggests that mental illness is more prevalent when people feel that they are being acted upon. They have limited control of outcomes. Extrinsic forces exert more impact than intrinsic powers. Parallels have been drawn to the situation facing America's schoolchildren who are more classroom-bound now than ever. Overall more youths are in school now than they were in the 1970s. Notably, fewer teenagers hold after-school jobs. (In the 1970s, 60% of teens held after-school jobs. Today only 20% are employed.) This adds up to more time in a supervised, teacher-driven setting with little opportunity for self-determination. Could this contribute to a rise in children's mental health disorders?Is free play the key to keeping children mentally fit? Certainly kids get to exercise much more autonomy when they are "left to their own devices." However, children have no control over selection of classmates or neighbors. Also, these groups may be small, offering limited opportunity to find like-minded chums. There may be no escape from the bully. Kids cannot just change neighborhoods or classrooms looking for a "better fit." In short, there are still considerable extrinsic forces at work even at recess!Is free play an American tradition about which we are simply waxing nostalgic? Consider other countries where children have long been consigned to a grueling school schedule. China and Japan have notably low levels of mental health disorders among school children. Overall, Americans feel torn. We yearn for the "good old days" with plenty of recess and time to careen around the neighborhood largely unsupervised. Yet we feel keenly the pressure to keep up with global competitors. So parents demand more rigorous academics. That requires plenty of time in school. Considering that this is unlikely to change any time soon, we need to assure that our school children remain mentally healthy in this environment. In what ways can we build in more opportunities for kids, themselves, to exercise control of outcomes as a tactic to promote good mental health? Sara R. SchmidtGlobal Field Supervisorsara@schoolchoiceintl.com